On Monday 13th February a group of young people, including UK Youth Voice members and young people from UK Youth's network gathered to promote #presschange4youth.

#presschange4youth is the name given to the consortium of 56 youth sector organisations supporting a report which recommends changes to the way the press report about young people.

The recommendations are:

• 'Age' be included as a classification for discrimination to the editors code.
• 'Journalists should exercise a duty of care and avoid negative generalizations about children and young people' should be added to Editors Code & NUJ Code of conduct.
• The Press Complaints Commissions' complaint process should be made child friendly.
• Someone within the PCC should be trained in working with children and young people.

Ben from Oval House Theatre performed a monologue about the perception of young people and many passers-by stopped to watch. After Ben had finished they handed out leaflets and explained to the public the need for change.

"Before getting involved in #presschange4youth I didn’t even know you could make a complaint about the press, but it has always been a subject that I have been passionate about. Young people do amazing things yet these are undermined in the press by the few young people who commit anti-social behaviour." Rachel Aston, UK Youth Voice

“I believe the ratio between the good contribution of young people and the bad things they may do are incomparable; out of the 12 million young people it is claimed only 70 of those get in to trouble a day, yet over 50% of press on young people is negative – young people can be amazing and essentially they are the future” Lorelle Lambert, UK Youth Apprentice
 
To support #presschange4youth please:
- tweet #presschange4youth
- Visit their facebook page/like it - PressChange4youth

To read the full report click here.